Strategy 4: Reduce Emissions from Facilities and Operations
Washoe County’s buildings and other facilities (including wastewater treatment facilities, streetlights and other installations) contributed 16,198 mtCO2e of GHGs in 2021. Washoe County is committed to reducing these emissions by 45% by 2030. The County will reduce our emissions with the following strategies:
Facility Decarbonization Plan
(This is Action #4 here) For all County buildings and facilities, Facilities, Operations, Finance, Budget and Sustainability staff will identify energy-efficiency strategies when planning for all energy-related improvements, remodels and repairs. We will incorporate energy-efficiency and emissions reductions evaluation criteria into our Capital Improvement Planning, asset risk-assessment processes. These planning processes will focus on the following elements of buildings and facilities:
- Envelope. When remodeling buildings, we will emphasize passive conservation systems to increase the insulative values of walls, windows, roofs and other aspects of building envelopes. Efficiency improvements: 15-20%
- Energy Management Systems. Strategic deployment of BAS, MTFS, programmable thermostats, internal light sensors, and other energy management systems can reduce energy consumption in buildings by up to 30%.
- Energy-efficient devices. Replacing aging appliances (air conditioners, chillers, boilers, hot water heaters, refrigerators, etc. with high-efficiency alternatives can reduce energy consumption and emissions for those services by up to 30%. Converting all lights in buildings to LEDs can reduce building energy use and emissions by 15%.
- Space utilization. The more efficiently the County uses the square footage of our buildings, the less energy will be required per-employee and per-service. The County’s Future Of Work program is working to maximize the physical space used by employees through a variety of strategies, including flexible and hybrid work schedules, which also reduce emissions by reducing vehicle miles traveled by employees. Facilities and Operations staff are working to design power, heat and cooling work spaces to reduce energy use to only those parts of buildings being used by present staff.
The County will also pursue facility emissions reductions with these additional strategies:
25. Adopt sustainability indicators/metrics into Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) review checklist
This will make sustainability and emissions-reductions a quantifiable metric when evaluating and ranking capital improvements (all capital projects costing $100,000 or more).
26. Incorporate energy efficiency and emissions-reduction metrics in Facilities’ project management software
This will allow the County’s Facilities project managers to track the costs and benefits of energy efficiency when planning upgrades to facilities.
27. Annual review of energy use across all departments to identify and prioritize actions.
All departments will coordinate to identify energy inefficiencies that increase emissions and energy costs, and to implement solutions that will produce triple-line return on investments.
28. Improve Public dashboard of County’s energy and emissions data for public review.
Currently, the County provides this public dashboard of emissions and energy use. However, more detailed information is possible. This action will improve the County’s transparency in how we’re working to reduce emissions for the community.
29. Adopt Building Performance Standards* to guide emissions reductions through standard building management
The key to reducing emissions in our current building stock is a systematic approach to evaluating buildings’ envelopes, heating, cooling and lighting systems. Washoe County will work with partner jurisdictions and agencies to develop standards to improve building efficiency over time.
30. Switch all County-owned streetlights to LEDs.
Washoe County will work with NV Energy for a rapid switchout of energy-intensive halide bulbs to more efficient LEDs.
31. Replace fossil fuels-powered heating with electric
Wherever possible, the County will replace outdated boilers and furnaces with more energy efficient models.
32. Adopt Net Zero building standards for new government buildings.
As the County plans new building construction, we will incorporate the energy efficiency standards that advance our net zero goals.
33. Adopt Climate Action Plan-aligned Building Energy Codes*
Applying energy efficiency standards to all building codes will improve the energy efficiency of all buildings constructed for decades to come.
34. Conduct Energy Efficiency Audit of key buildings and facilities
The County will evaluate all our buildings and facilities, starting with the biggest emitters in Table 2 above, to prioritize the most effective emissions-reducing upgrades.
35. Adopt Fugitive Refrigerant Emissions Reduction Plan
In general, fluorinated gases are the most potent and longest lasting type of greenhouse gases emitted by human activities. The County will develop best practices to stop refrigerant leaks and replace old refrigerants with less damaging refrigerants.
36. Adopt Future of Work (FOW) policies to provide hybrid schedules and more efficient use of offices for staff.
Allowing hybrid schedules for employees and more efficient use of office space can save both energy used in buildings, and emissions generated by employee commutes.
37. Adjust set points for all buildings to reduce energy use during off-hours
The County’s Facilities team will evaluate and adjust the minimum systems necessary to heat, cool and illuminate County facilities.
Reduce Water Waste
38. Develop & Adopt Water Conservation Plan
In the driest state in the Union, water availability and quality should not be taken for granted. The County will evaluate the water used in all our facilities and operations, and develop a plan to use water in ways that help ensure its continued availability in the region.
Reduce Scope 3 Emissions: Commuting, Travel, Waste, Goods & Services
39. Adopt Scope 3 Reduction Plan
The County will inventory the emissions that come from employee travel, employee commutes, purchased goods and services, and waste, then develop a plan to reduce those emissions to achieve our net zero emissions goal.
40. Negotiate Waste Management Franchise Agreement to Maximize Climate Goals
Roughly 10% of GHGs in our community come from waste [link]. When the County’s Franchise Agreement with Waste Management ends in 2030, we will seek a new contract with the best provider to minimize unnecessary emissions from the County’s and community’s waste stream. This may include incentives to divert more organic waste to compost programs and improve cardboard, glass, aluminum and plastic recycling rates.
41. Pilot Green- and Food-Waste Compost Pilots*
Reducing GHGs and improving our region’s climate resiliency will require soil to expand local agricultural production and to support our expanding tree canopies. Diverting green- and food-waste from the landfill to effective composting programs not only reduces the methane emissions from our landfill; it also produces the life-giving humus that supports these efforts. The County will support local pilot composting efforts to develop this supply chain to improve our local soils.
42. Improve facility recycling programs
The County will improve coordinated recycling efforts at our facilities to improve overall recycling rates.
43. Improve battery recycling programs
As home to Nevada’s Tech Hub and Lithium Loop, the County has a role to play to the emerging circular battery economy. The County can play an important part in these efforts by working with our internal facilities teams and regional partners to improve battery recycling rates as part of this regional effort.